Page 6 - THE Journal, March/April 2018

FEATURE | STEAM EDUCATION
Forget about sensors everywhere. The Internet of Things is really about networked devices making our lives easier.
IOT HAS
ARRIVED (JUST NOT IN THE WAY YOU EXPECTED)
BY DIAN SCHAFFHAUSER
If your idea of the Internet of Things (IoT) involves smart environments that hoover up data from wearable sensors for more efficient traffic patterns, alert a teacher when a student’s eyeballs have wandered away from the lesson or notify purchasing when the pencil stock has dwindled in the supply closet, maybe it’s time to crank back expectations and look at what’s really going on in K–12 with IoT.
According to Steve Burt, the applications for IoT in the school environment currently most often involve lighting, climate control and transportation. Burt is the director of strategy for Clarity
Innovations, a professional services firm that consults with education agencies, organizations and companies on technology. So far, he noted, retail is a far better venue for IoT usage than education, collecting data “to help them essentially do their job, selling things better.”
Data collection in schools is a far trickier business, Burt said, burdened with practical, political and legal rami- fications “that are going to continue to exist as a barrier to widespread implementation or adoption.” Anybody who proposes putting sensors in buildings to track student activity will face a school board that doesn’t hear, “I’m trying to track usage,” he suggested; they’re going to hear, “I’m going to be tracking what students are doing and where they’re at.” And that’s a non-starter. “The political concerns will throw up a lot of red flags around that.”
Yet, as Burt pointed out, there are countless IoT uses that could really help schools streamline operations, save money and reduce administrivia. Think about the cafeteria. While CES scenarios offer up smart
6 | MARCH/APRIL 2018
Barks/Shutterstock.com